


Save Me from My Past

by Rough_Rabbit_Head



Series: Save Me [3]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Prequel, Searching
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2018-09-26 11:06:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9892700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rough_Rabbit_Head/pseuds/Rough_Rabbit_Head
Summary: A year after the fall of Oval Tower, Mink comes to terms with his feelings for Aoba and finally decides to confront him if only so he can get the closure he needs to be able to leave Midorijima far behind him. When he gets to Aoba's house, he finds the door ajar and no one home except Aoba's fried All-Mate.*Basically, this is the prequel to Save Me from the Memories and is in Mink's POV.*





	1. And So It All Began

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blacksprut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blacksprut/gifts).



> Alright, so it was brought to my attention that I never properly explained the timeline of where this story takes place. I did make mentions of Toue Inc being defeated and all that jazz, but never said in the first story what route was taken. I spent a few hours trying to figure out how to insert that into this story, seeing as this is technically a prequel, but couldn't find a way to do it and make it flow properly with the story so I am going to casually add it in here:
> 
> • The timeline basically follows the anime (sort of), with Aoba having gone to Platinum Jail, using Scrap to "save" everyone, and Mink killing Toue and then blowing up Oval Tower.  
> • This story line DOES NOT account for Ren going into Sei’s body, meaning Ren is still an All-Mate and Sei met the fate he would have in most of the game's routes.  
> • Save Me from My Past is going to take place starting in the gap between the anime ending and Aoba going missing. This story also runs under the assumption that Mink didn't immediately leave back to America after the collapse of Oval Tower, just so that is clear as well.
> 
> I hope this clarifies a few things for you guys! Anyways, here is Mink's story. I have never written anything from Mink's POV before, so I really hope I manage to capture him properly, but if he turns out OOC, I severely apologize. Aoba is waaaaay easier to write from.
> 
> I am gifting this one to Blacksprut because they stuck with me through all the bull shit of me taking so long to write the first story and gave me a lot of feedback and just generally brightened my day every time I posted as well as basically motivating me to keep writing this series. Thank you, darling, you are wonderful!

The year following the fall of Oval Tower seemed to blow by in the blink of an eye as life slowly returned to normal for the residents of Midorijima. Platinum Jail became open to the public and nobody was being brainwashed by Toue Inc anymore. The small island had been the center of attention in the media for quite some time once news reached the mainland about what had happened, but the press grew bored with the lack of inside sources to give the big scoop on Toue’s plans. Everything was as it should have been to begin with.

 

The team, if you could even call it that, responsible for the downfall of Oval Tower managed to stay in touch with each other for the most part, if only because Aoba wanted them to. The group would often find themselves gathered in Mizuki’s bar or at Aoba’s house to hang out and catch up on life. Though Noiz and Mink showed obvious disinterest in such things, they would always show up to make the blue haired man happy.

 

Mink would sometimes let his mind linger, if only briefly, on why he had stayed in Midorijima after his mission was completed. He had every intention of dying in that tower, but Aoba had destroyed that mindset with one simple sentence. He was alive because Aoba told him so. Once that reality settled into his mind, he resigned himself to return to his homelands as soon as possible and stay as far away from this place as possible.

 

He planned to leave, but couldn’t bring himself to. After everything was said and done, he was unable to make himself go. It frustrated him a bit when he dwelled on it for too long, but it became quite clear to him why he was staying here in this place. He wanted to see Aoba happy. He couldn’t pinpoint why he felt the strong desire to make the man smile, but he was aware he couldn’t resist it. And so, he decided to stay at least for a while longer.

 

As the months rolled past and he spent more time with the man in question, the realization that he had developed romantic feelings for the younger hit him like a ton of bricks. He came to the decision, then, that he had to leave and never come back. He had even started planning the arrangements necessary, but of course, when the time came to make his escape, he still couldn’t bring himself to go. Time continued as he remained silently by Aoba’s side.

 

Now, with an entire year having gone by, Mink finally grew tired of silently pining for the blue haired beauty he had grown to cherish so much. He thought carefully and came to a decision. He was going to stop hiding and be blunt with him. Maybe if he was open with him and got rejected, he would finally be able to return home. With his mind made up, he checked the time to make sure Aoba was off work before heading to his house to confront him.

 

* * *

 

 

He couldn’t be sure what he was expecting to find when he arrived at Aoba’s place, but this most certainly was not it. The front door to the small house was slightly ajar, so he let himself in to have a look. In the entry way lay the motionless frame of Ren, Aoba’s beloved All-Mate. His eyes narrowed, knowing perfectly that Aoba wouldn’t just leave his All-Mate laying around in sleep mode. Something clearly wasn’t right here. Upon further inspection, it became clear the All-Mate’s circuits had been fried and it seemed like he had been carelessly tossed aside, and not by his owner.

 

Silently, he moved on to the living room, leaving Ren where he found him. His brows furrowed when he saw nothing at all out of place. He moved on from room to room, finding no other signs of anything being wrong. When he headed back downstairs, he stopped in the hallway, his eyes landing on Aoba’s coil laying abandoned by the front door, something he had missed on his way in. The picture was becoming crystal clear to him. Aoba had been abducted and he needed to find him and fast. He gathered up the coil and All-Mate and moved into the living room. He could tell just by looking at Ren, that he wouldn’t be able to repair the circuits on his own. Sighing to himself, he pulled up his own coil and dialed the number of someone who could.

 

“Yo,” they picked up surprisingly fast.

 

“Noiz, something has happened,” his voice was calm despite his thoughts running wild. “Aoba is gone and I need your help finding him.”

 

There was silence on the other end, save for the sound of Noiz typing away at his computer. “Alright, I will be there soon.”

 

The call ended just as quickly as it began. After a moment’s thought, he began contacting the others while he waited for the blond to arrive. If he got everyone to work together, they should be able to find Aoba in no time. At least, that was what he was hoping for. He made himself a promise right, then and there, that as soon as he found him and returned him to safety, he was going to do everything in his power to protect him and make sure nothing ever happened to him again. He was going to rain justice down upon whoever decided to take what was his, no matter their reasons for doing so. The person behind this was going to pay for this. Of that, he was sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this story shouldn't be nearly as long as the original was, but here is the start! I am probably going to actually work on rewriting Save Me from Myself between writing this one, since they are both taking place at the same time, so look forward to that.
> 
> I am actually really excited to write this one and I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think!


	2. What is to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone comes together to decide what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was kind of rushing to get this chapter out, so I really hope it turned out okay. :/
> 
> Anywho... I promise I will try to elaborate more on Mink's thoughts and work on keeping him more in character moving forward. He is a bit challenging for me to write, but I am enjoying myself nonetheless. Enjoy!

An hour had passed since Mink had contacted everyone he needed to and he was honestly surprised with how quickly they all rushed to Aoba’s place to meet with him. The first to arrive, naturally being Koujaku who had stopped on his way to inform Tae of what had happened and brought her along with him. The old woman was more than a little suspicious of Mink, but seemed to quickly piece together he was of no threat and set about in the kitchen to prepare something to hopefully keep everyone calm while they discussed the next course of action.

He looked around at the small crowd that huddled into the small living space, assessing each person briefly. He already had a good idea of what each was capable of since the whole Toue Inc situation a year back and hoped they would all be as willing to go the distance to find the man who brought them all together to begin with. Koujaku was currently seating on the couch, Mizuki close by as they whispered quietly to each other. It was obvious by the look on his face that the hairdresser would rather be out searching already than waiting here for everyone else. He had shouted at Mink upon arrival, demanding they waste no time in going out there to look, but was quickly shot down by the nasty look the taller had given him. He wasn’t too happy when Mink had told him they needed to stay level headed and devise a plan before acting rashly, but he seemed to know better than to argue and quietly followed Tae inside. Next, he noticed Clear sitting in the floor next to them. His pink eyes were focused intently on Koujaku, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention to his conversation with his boss. He was fidgeting with his hands a lot and appeared to be trying to keep himself from moving too much. He had only said a few soft greetings since he arrived, but otherwise seemed too on edge to really do much of anything.

His gaze finally shifted towards Noiz. The blond had come in shortly after Koujaku and Tae had and without a single word set himself up in the corner with Ren already in his lap. He still hadn’t said anything at all since his arrival, but no one dared approach him, understanding Ren’s recovery would be a vital part of finding Aoba, or they at least hoped so. Mink wanted to call out to him and ask how the process was going, but knew he wouldn’t get a response anyways, not with how focused Noiz was on his work. Instead he resigned himself to waiting as patiently as he could, his nerves going haywire. He stood off to one side, away from everyone, so he could keep a watchful eye on everything. He tried to come up with a plan, but all he could think about was all the terrible things whoever took Aoba could be doing to him, which only served to make him grow steadily angrier by the minute. His mind kept providing him with images of Aoba splayed out, bleeding profusely and crying out for help that he knew wouldn’t come. It broke his heart the more he dwelled on it. Part of him was mad at himself for even letting this happen in the first place. The other was even angrier at the person who would even dare lay a hand on the man he cherished more than anyone else.

He took a deep, calming breath and willed his thoughts to steer in a different direction. He couldn’t afford to allow himself to continue down the path his brain was trying to take. It would only lead him towards a murderous rampage of killing anyone or anything that got in his way of finding Aoba. As much as he would love to bring harm to those involved with this, a small voice in his head nagged at him that the blue haired man would be angry with him for doing so. Thankfully, his thoughts were interrupted by the room suddenly falling completely silent, Noiz’s fingers no longer tapping away at his keyboard.

When he focused back on the man in question, he saw Noiz holding Ren at eye level, inspecting him as closely as possible. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for the AllMate to power on. After a few moments that felt like an eternity, the dog’s eyes lit up and he focused on the man holding him.

“Where’s Aoba?” were the words that broke the silence.

Noiz sighed and sat Ren down gently. “That is what we are trying to find out.”

He brought his coil back up and began typing again, everyone watching him silently. “I am going to see if I can recover your memory. Can you tell us the last thing you saw?”

Ren sat quietly for a few moments. “I remember returning home with Aoba after his shift at work. The door was unlocked when we got here. I saw Aoba enter the living room and talk to someone. I don’t know who, though, I was attacked as soon as Aoba was walking away from me.”

“So, we are looking for at least two people,” Mink muttered more to himself than anyone else.

Noiz nodded. “It’s not much of a lead, but it’s all we have for now.”

Koujaku stood from the couch, eyes trained on Mink. “What’s the plan, then?”

Mink looked around at everyone again. “We have our teams split up and search for any clues we can around the island.”

“I will stay here and see if I can find anything left on Ren’s hard drive. If I don’t find anything there, I will tap into any security camera on the nearby businesses and see if any of them caught sight of anything suspicious.” Noiz was already typing away as he spoke. It was clear no one would be able to get anything else from him any time soon.

Clear raised his hand as if to get Mink’s attention. “I will help you guys look and keep an ear out in case he tries to use Scrap on his captors. I know he said he can’t feel it anymore, but what if it comes back in his time of need?”

Mink nodded. “Sounds good. Everyone keep in touch. If you find anything, notify the others immediately.”

Koujaku and Mizuki nodded their agreement before exiting the house to meet up with their teams. Mink sent out a quick message to the members of Scratch before heading out himself. There was no denying they were all in for a rough time ahead. He silently cursed himself for the time they lost waiting for Ren to be repaired, but he knew they needed any information the AllMate might have to offer. Aoba needed them and he would be damned if he didn’t use every resource he could to make sure he is returned home safe and sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the thing, guys. I finished a rough outline for this story which put it to a possible length of 10-12 chapters. However, those chapters would be roughly the length my usual chapters are, but with very little actually happening, because as you guys know from the original story, Aoba was gone for 2 years without the other's being able to find him. This means chapters 3-9 of the story would just be times skips and random updates on them finding leads that go cold as Virus and Trip lead the astray and cover their tracks. For me personally, that would get boring real fucking fast, so I came up with a solution, but I want to know what you guys would like to see. Here are the options:
> 
> Option One: I stick with my outline and write out the 2 year gap of nothing much really happening, keeping the chapter length I usually write along the way, and then the story picks up speed around chapter 10.
> 
> Option Two: I write one really long chapter detailing everything of note I had planned for the two year gap and then pick up Mink's point of view on taking care of Aoba and leading to the confrontation with Virus and Trip starting in chapter 4.
> 
> Please do let me know which you guys would prefer so I can make this story flow in the manner that pleases my readers the best. Thank you in advance! (:


	3. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to be doing this AGAIN!

Hello, my lovelies. I wanted to finally force myself to post an update to let everyone know I haven't forgotten about this story and that I am still working on the third chapter. As I had said last chapter, I was considering writing one long mega chapter to fill in the rest of the two years Mink and co. spent searching for Aoba since it is obvious very few important things happened during that time. Sadly, I am not that far along with actually writing it. As I am not a student anymore, the summer months don't necessarily mean that I get a lot of free time, especially since I work at a restaurant located across from a university. With school being out, we lost some employees who traveled home for the summer, leaving me as one of the few still there during this school break, so I have been very busy with doing work and blah blah blah, adulting sucks.

In any case, I was trying to take the next few days to really start cranking out the next chapter, and maybe a few story ideas I have for other fandoms, when I discovered the lovely instance of having lost all of the memos I had saved in my phone, one of which was the outline I had made for the rest of this story. Stupidly, I never typed it out on my computer, so now I have to rewrite the outline and hopefully not mess up my original plans. As a result, I have decided that if the next chapter ends up being a decent length, like I had planned, I might break it up into two filler chapters to try and lessen the amount of time this story is left without a proper update.

I am very sorry for the long wait, I am trying really hard to get back on track as much as possible. Hopefully I will at least have something resembling a new chapter posted with in the next few days. Thank you for sticking around and (hopefully) being patient with me as I try to get myself the time to write.


	4. Searching Until We Find Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two year gap leading to Aoba being found!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive and have actually been working hard on trying to get this chapter out. It's been about 6 months since I gave you guys a REAL update, so I hope this 6,146 word chapter makes up for the long space between my posting. Hopefully that doesn't happen again, but I really can't make promises. On the bright side, this chapter covered the ENTIRE 2 month gap AND showed a bit of insight into Mink's thoughts when he found Aoba. Next chapter will be Mink's POV of the first few days after Aoba was brought home.
> 
> Also, if it isn't obvious, the italics are how long it's been since Aoba was kidnapped.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Three Months_

 

Mink sat with his head resting heavily in his hands, eyes shut as he tried to remain calm. His patience was wearing thin; all of theirs were, leaving behind nothing but an agitated sensation crawling beneath the skin. For the past three months, the group had searched every bit of the island, desperately trying to find something, anything, that would help them progress in their search for Aoba Seragaki only to fall short at every turn. Once a week, they all met back at Aoba’s house to go over what they had found, but their meetings had quickly turned into nothing more than awkward silences as everyone sat around the kitchen table very much wishing one of them would speak up with a new lead before an hour passed and Mink dismissed the meeting, so they could keep up the hunt for answers.

 

This week’s meeting was no different. They were all tired of running around like clueless baboons to gain no results at all. Everyone kept their heads down, eyes refusing to meet anyone else’s gaze to confirm the grim expressions they all held so frequently these days. The house remained completely silent, save for the rapid movement of Noiz’s fingers along the keys of his laptop on the table before him. Even in their earlier assemblies, the blond never spoke up, always typing away, no doubt hacking into anything he can think of that might hold some hints as to what they needed to be looking for. As nerve-wracking as it was, no one bothered to interrupt him as he worked.

 

The tense atmosphere around the small room shifted slightly as a knock resounded from down the hall, everyone snapping their eyes in the direction before Mink stood to answer the door. He wasn’t sure who was expecting to find, but it was most certainly not the two who stood before him, expressionless faces staring at him as he observed them for a few moments. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the shorter of the two released an impatient sigh and shifted his weight to one side.

 

“Is Aoba here? He hasn’t been answering his calls and we were starting to worry for his well-being,” the tone of the man’s voice did not come through as someone who was genuinely concerned, but Mink wrote it off as his frayed nerves clouding his judgement.

 

“He went missing three months ago,” Mink said after a while of silent contemplation. “We have reason to believe he was kidnapped.”

 

The taller made a clicking noise with his tongue. “And no one thought to inform us? The yakuza could have been assisting the search in that amount of time.”

 

To be honest, the thought hadn’t even occurred to Mink at all. Sure, Virus and Trip probably had a lot of contacts, being who they were, but so did everyone else already working on the case. As he thought about it more, he came to the decision that as little as he actually trusted these two it would really hurt any for them to have more eyes to look; a fresh perspective to help out. Giving a tired sigh of his own, he stepped aside, pulling the door open wider as he did to allow the two men to step inside.

 

“You should probably join the rest of us so we can discuss what we already know about the situation,” he said softly before turning his back and leading the way back into the kitchen. He could already tell this was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

 

_Six Months_

Another three months passed in a blur, the days bleeding together with the stress of it all. In the time since Virus and Trip began aiding their search, the group had managed to grasp hold of several minor leads, jumping at every small thing that could lead them closer to Aoba. Naturally, every time they thought they were closing in on more information, the rug was snatched out from under them leaving them on their asses with hope dwindling even farther until they stumbled across something new. They kept up with their meetings, sometimes even meeting in smaller groups to discuss anything they found, but these days all contact was kept brief an no one lingered for too long.

 

This week was different, though, the air seemed thicker and a small flicker of something yet unnamed settled over them. They were meeting a few days earlier than usual at the request of Virus. He claimed to have found a big lead that would probably advance their progress by several steps, but refused to give any further details over the phone. Something about the way he said it put Mink more on edge than he usually was in the man’s presence, but once again, he assumed he was just too read the situation properly. He had been putting his heart and soul into this investigation while trying his best to suppress his feelings for their missing friend and it was surely taking a heavy toll on him. He knew he needed to pull himself together for Aoba’s sake, if for no one else, but it was hard when he felt so powerless to do anything for him.

 

His anxious train of thought finally shifted from it’s current path at the sound of the front door opening and the sound of someone else entering the room. One set of footsteps, he noted in the back of his head. He wasn’t really sure why he did it, but he always made sure to take notice to whenever Virus showed up to a meet up without Trip and vice versa. Something didn’t seem right about the two, but he could place it in his mind. He watched calmly as the blond paced around the table, eyeing everyone present before coming to a stop at the opposite end of the table from where Mink was sitting. The tension increased as everyone waiting with bated breath for him to express his findings.

 

“I came across an interesting person this morning,” Virus spoke up after a few moments that felt like an eternity. “He claims to have seen Aoba being carried onto a boat six months ago. Said he would have called the police to report suspicious activity, but wrote it off as nothing and went along his way. When I pressed him for more details, he said he thought it was a ferry to the mainland. It would explain why we haven’t been able to find anything here in Midorijima.”

 

Something about the small, satisfied smirk the blond gave as he spoke really bothered Mink, but he stayed quiet. Virus seemed far too pleased with himself for the information he found. He supposed he could understand, though, seeing as no one else had made progress in weeks now. After a few months of silence in which the room seemed to be taking in this additional information, Koujaku was the first to respond, standing up so fast he nearly turned over his chair.

 

“Then we should leave the island and search of clue on the mainland,” his hands were clenching the edge of the table as he spoke in a loud voice.

 

Noiz sat forward in his own seat, eyes sharp as looked at the hair dresser. “I think we should question more people who live or work near the docks first. We need to make sure this isn’t another false lead before we over exert ourselves on another wild goose chase.”

 

Koujaku glared heavily back at him. “Virus is right, though! It makes too much sense! If we haven’t find anymore information here on the island, it can only mean that he is no longer here! And if they went by boat, instead of a plane, doesn’t that make our chances of finding them elsewhere in Japan more likely?”

 

“Unless it was to throw any pursuers off the scent. They could have easily just ferried to the nearest port and then taken a flight out of the country,” the blond was on his feet now as well, leaning over the table to get in Koujaku’s face as their intense glaring match continued.

 

Mink sighed to himself as he quickly realized no one else was going to make an attempt at breaking this up and rose to his feet as well, albeit more calmly than the other two had. His dark expression making the both of them halt their argument in its tracks to hear what he had to add. “I agree with Noiz, but you’re not wrong, Koujaku. I have been thinking lately that the likelihood of Aoba’s captors taking him away from Midorijima was a very real possibility, but if one person had seen him being dragged onto a ferry, then maybe others did too. And even if no one else did, then this guy might at least be able to help us identify who we are even looking for. I say we compromise on this. We can send a group to the mainland to ask around the town surrounding the harbor while we have someone else ask around here to see if anyone else saw anything suspicious at the docks around that time. If we find out anything, we can contact the team overseas with any information that could aid in their search of the town there.”

 

The group disbanded shortly after Mink said his piece, no one willing to speak against his word either out of fear or respect, he could hardly tell the difference. They had come to an agreement on who was staying and who was going at the very least. He allowed himself to briefly indulge in the small ray of hope that was beginning to worm its way into his thoughts as he walked back to his apartment on the other side of Midorijima. They were one step closer to cracking this and returning Aoba home. For once, he refused to let himself entertain the notion that Aoba might not even be alive to come home anyways.

 

* * *

 

 

_Eight Months_

 

After two sluggish months of grasping at ghosts with little to no result, the band of friends found themselves once again losing hope along with their minds. Their meetings to keep each other updated came less frequently so that they had only all spoken together twice since they decided to expand the search to the mainland. Each one of them spent more time chasing shadows than actually taking care of themselves properly. None of them could remember the last time they had gotten a full night’s rest or sat down for a proper meal rather than taking a few bites of some random food item and then abandoning it to drown themselves in the search. The conditions were starting to take a massive toll on everyone involved, mentally and physically. The entire group soon began taking turns forcing each other to take breaks from trying to find leads, Clear and Mink more so than the others.

 

Clear would always smile faintly and insist he could work the hardest since he had no need for sleeping at all and would sometimes even threaten to use his song to put them to sleep if they argued against him on the matter. He never threatened Mink, though. He would just offer a sad smile, as though he knew how much Mink cared for Aoba, and allow Mink to sit up with him into the wee hours of the morning until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and fell asleep at the table in Aoba’s kitchen to the sound of Clear humming softly next to him. He still refused to talk to anyone about his feelings toward Aoba, but he got the feeling at least most of them had caught on at one point or another based on his determination to find him and unwillingness to give up hope when everyone else was struggling. Of course, he was struggling as well, but if no one else could stay strong, then he needed to be the one made of stone and offer as much of his own strength as he could for the sake of them all.

 

Koujaku and Noiz had stopped fighting with each other so much as the days went on and on. Mink tried to ignore the slight pang in his chest the first time he saw Koujaku holding the blonde’s hand as they sat in silence. It wasn’t so much that he was upset to see them get along to the point of being romantic as it was painful to sit and watch the people around him get to be with the one they cared for when he was unable to even find the one thing that mattered most to him. The two kept mostly quiet about whatever was going on between them, but it was obvious to everyone else that the sexual tension that always clung to them had be resolved to give way to honest feelings. In a way he was happy for them, but also incredibly jealous of what they had. He would never admit to it, but he at least bitterly acknowledged it to himself.

 

As for Mizuki, no one had seen him much since he was part of the group to head for the mainland to search for clues. Since he had come back to Midorijima, however, it had become clear to the rest that he was starting to give up. In the most recent meeting they had, he had an emotional break down, sobbing as he screamed at them to realize they were never going to find Aoba. When no one agreed with him or even tried to console him, he whispered that he believed the man to be long dead and stormed away, refusing to have any part in the investigation from there on. Even as he made the proclamation, he had yet to ask his team members to withdraw from the search, so everyone figured he either still had a small shred of hope left in him somewhere deep down or he just didn’t care enough to do so.

 

Throughout all of it, Mink hadn’t even paid attention to Virus and Trip besides when they tried to bring up new suggestions. He failed to see how smug Virus had looked as Mizuki fled the house or how he seemed to be taking mental note of every single lead one of the others offered. He failed to see the secretive looks he would shoot towards Trip whenever the two happened to both be there or how Trip always seemed to be watching his coil when he was there without Virus, almost as if he was expecting a call or message to appear at a moment’s notice. He didn’t notice any of the subtle hints that they might not be as they seemed. None of them had.

 

* * *

 

 

_A Year and Two Months_

 

Mink once again found himself losing track of how much time had passed since their last lead. The resources were growing thin as they settled into a cycle of some people heading over seas to search around, slowly working their way farther from the harbor and more inland, and whoever was left behind roaming the streets asking everyone who dared spare them a glance to offer any information they had. Noiz continued his search for information online or anything electronically that could be of use. He somehow managed to search endlessly while still maintaining his Rhyme team that had long stopped offering assistance and continued brokering his information on the side. No one took the time to ask him how he did it, especially not when he finally spoke up and called for an immediate meeting at Aoba’s.

 

The group crowded into Aoba’s kitchen for the first time in nearly six months, all anxious to hear what the hacker had managed to dig up. For half an hour after everyone arrived, the blond made no movement to begin talking, his fingers moving quickly on the keys. After a while of everyone staring at him, he finally shot a gaze at Koujaku, apparently silently telling him to start talking for him so he could concentrate on what he was doing since the hair dresser immediately stood so he had everyone’s attention away from his boyfriend.

 

“A few hours ago, Noiz stumbled across what appeared to be some sort of strange distress signal coming from somewhere off the island,” he took a shaky breath and glanced at the man almost nervously. “He has been trying to decode it since he picked up on it and maybe see if he could track it. It could be a new lead.”

 

There were no words from the others in the room, but there were a couple of soft exhales of strained relief. For another moment, everyone seemed to be taking in the news. At long last, Noiz spoke up for himself.

 

“I haven’t gotten the whole message just yet, but I have been able to figure out that it is a request for medical attention at a secret location,” his eyes never left the screen and his fingers continued in their same rhythm. “Something about a captive becoming violently ill needing to be taken care of. There’s no guarantee it’s about him, but we can’t rule out the possibility just yet.”

 

“Where are you in terms of tracing it?” Mink asked, his voice somehow not betraying any of the chaos that had exploded inside his mind.

 

Noiz’s brows knit together for a moment. “Nowhere. Every time I make any progress on it, the signal gets fainter for a few moments, just long enough that I have to start over again.”

 

The room remained silent for a while after that, no one wanting to risk distracting Noiz and making him miss the chance to find where it is coming from. No one moved from their places in the few hours it took Noiz to pin point the signal’s source. He slumped in his chair, clearly relieved once he found it. The few minutes that followed were a blur of excitement as they devised a plan for who to go about rescuing Aoba from this place. In the flurry or emotions, no one took notice of Virus slipping out of the room or even when he returned fifteen minutes later, eyes shining more so than usual.

 

* * *

 

 

_A Year and Two Months (A few days later)_

 

Of course, it would be just their luck that when they arrived at the coordinates where the signal had come from, there was nothing but an old abandoned warehouse. They had searched the place top to bottom, desperately looking for any sign that phantom signal had even come from the building to begin with. When they came up short, it was a huge blow to the last shreds of hope they still harbored, Noiz seeming to take it the hardest. He paced back and forth a few feet from where Mink and Clear stood together, Koujaku next to the path he was walking pity and sadness mixed together in his crimson eyes while the blond kept muttering about how he should have paid more attention and realized the source was a false lead and it was his fault they wasted the time coming up with plans to come here as the signal went dark when he should have been digging deeper. After a silence that lasted for an eternity, Koujaku rose his voice so everyone could hear him, his gaze never leaving his boyfriend.

 

“I think it’s time we face the truth and stop the search,” his voice shook with defeat. “I don’t think any of us can take much longer of this before we all start slowly breaking down like Mizuki did.”

 

Noiz halted in his tracks, staring disbelievingly at Koujaku, his posture tense. He remained silent, but his eyes spoke a million words about how much he disagreed with the other man. Mink looked away from the two, his gaze meeting with Clear who was looking at him with that same sad look he often did. The expression that revealed how much he understood about Mink’s internal struggle with his own emotions.

 

“I hate to admit it, but I agree with Koujaku,” his voice was soft enough that Mink was sure he was the only one who could hear him. “Mink, this isn’t healthy for you. I know you want to keep up the search, but we need to realize we are getting nowhere fast.”

 

Mink shook his head, his mask of stone cracking before he could do anything about it. “No, I refuse to stop until I find him and either bring him home safely or avenge his death, whichever becomes reality. I can’t just stay put and allow the man I love to be hurt or killed without putting up a damn good fight to protect him. I already failed once when he was taken, and I will be damned if I give up on him!”

 

He clenched his jaw, breath hitching as his brain caught up with the words his mouth had spewed. His feelings were laid bare between the four of them with no room for misinterpretation. He hadn’t meant to reveal as much information as he did, no now and not ever. He drew another shaky breath and lowered his gaze as he felt tears well up in his eyes. He was supposed to be a rock; the strength that held them all together during this time of need. He wasn’t supposed to break down and show emotion. A few moments too late, he felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around him and then another from the other side. He looked up slightly to find Noiz standing in front of him, arms crossed and eyes blazing fiercely as Clear and Koujaku attempted to comfort him in any way they could.

 

“If you are going to be this stupidly determined to find him, then I guess we have no choice but to stay strong and continue pushing ahead,” his voice was just as fiery as his expression. “If not for the sake of keeping you sane and make sure you take care of yourself, then for Aoba.” He sighed and lowered his gaze a little. “He must be scared for his life wherever he is. We can’t give up on him so easily.”

 

The four took a few moments to collect themselves as Koujaku and Clear slowly backed away from Mink to stand in a small circle. Clear smiled at each of them in turn, the first real smile he’s worn since Aoba had gone missing. He settled on looking to Mink at last.

 

“So, what next, boss?” he asked almost cheerfully, a new sense of hope coursing through all of them then.

 

Mink cleared his throat before answering. “If the signal appeared to come from this warehouse then it must have been from somewhere in the area, right? I think we may still have a proper lead out of this. I suggest we start searching around here. Maybe if we are lucky his captors will slip up again and we can pick up on more of these signals in the future.”

 

Everyone agreed to his idea and went their sperate ways deciding it would be easier to scope the area if they split up and covered more ground. Something about Mink’s confession of love, or maybe it was the broken pieces of his indestructible mask, seemed to have renewed their determination and sparked a whole new fire within each of them. They would find Aoba, they had to.

 

* * *

 

 

_A Year and Seven Months_

 

Really, they should have known better than to think their renewed spark of hope would last with the poor luck they had been having so far. The trail had properly gone cold by this point. Their resources were completely drained. Koujaku had more or less given up his hope entirely, but stayed with them if only to make sure Noiz was taking care of himself at least a little. He stopped taking part in the conversations and kept his eyes either on his own lap or on Noiz, refusing to make eye contact with anyone else in the room. Benishigure has also completely withdrawn their assistance. Virus and Trip had also been keeping a distance since the incident with that first signal to nowhere. Virus would call from time to time to ask for updates on their progress, but stopped offering any new leads of his own. He had mentioned once that the yakuza had also lost interest in the search and turned away from the case leaving the three of them with only Scratch to help them. The band of criminals were becoming restless with the lack of results, though. It wasn’t long before Mink decided to disband the gang all together. The three were alone in this and all semblance of hope was dwindling faster than ever. As much as he hated to admit to it, Mink was starting to give up as well.

 

The thought of Aoba dead or dying somewhere far from his reach was heartbreaking, but he was beginning to realize he could no longer deny the strong possibility of it being truth. He tried desperately to clench to his fading hope, but it was no use. He was helpless to save the love of his life. He could no longer convince himself that he had lost his everything for the second time in his life. He refused to speak about it to the other’s. Clear started giving him that pitiful look more frequently since Mink had open declared his love for their missing friend and while Noiz was still as determined as ever to get them somewhere in their search, Mink could tell the only reason he was still trying at this point was for Mink’s sake, less than because he still believed they would ever find him. It was clear by the look on his face that he was just determined to not leave Mink alone in this. It almost felt as though the two of them were scared he would do something stupid if they didn’t stick by his side to the end of it all.

 

When he thought about it more carefully, he wasn’t so sure they were wrong to think it. When he lost his family and everyone he ever cared for in his younger years, he had dedicated his entire life to seeking revenge and then taking his own life when the deed was done, a fact that Clear and Noiz were both all too aware of. If Mink had set his mind to committing suicide once, who was to say he wouldn’t do it again and this time actually act upon it. It was a logical conclusion to jump to, all things considered. In just the past week, he had considered many times just telling the two that they should give up and stop searching, but before he could get the words to come out he would start second guessing himself, something in the back of his mind screaming at him that is wasn’t the right decision to make. He would tell himself that they would continue searching for a little while longer. And so, the cycle continued, Noiz spending countless hours on his computer looking for any small detail that could lead them somewhere while Mink and Clear made frequent trips to the mainland and to that warehouse from before, still trying to find something, anything, however small to guide them to Aoba.

 

* * *

 

 

_Two Years and One Month_

 

Five months passed them by as they continued to spiral around and around and that never-ending cycle of suffering. After a few weeks of silence, Koujaku began talking again. He still offered little to no assistance in their search, but he at least made an attempt to keep their spirits high as he realized they weren’t going to give up on their mission. He began helping Tae-san around Aoba’s house more and would often make sure they were all fed and force them to go take shower breaks from time to time. In a way, it did help for a while, but Mink began to feel like his misery was causing him to become a burden to the only three people he had left.

 

Two weeks ago, he finally gathered his courage and called for a meeting. Naturally, the other three arrived excitedly expecting that he had at long last found another lead. He almost felt bad for leading them on, even though he hadn’t even meant to. While they sipped on the tea Tae-san had prepared for them, Mink finally admitted that he had had enough. He was growing weary of the search and was ready to throw in the towel. He wasn’t even surprised when all three of them gave sighs of relief and sad smiles. He listened numbly as Clear began prattling on about how Mink was making the right decision for his health. He knew that everyone present was sad to hear the search was ending cold, but they were all aware they needed to stop. The world was still turning, and life was passing them all by while they were making themselves suffer. Two years was too long to hold on to a memory. Mink just hoped that he would move on and continue living somehow. He had made a vow not to end his life because he knew it wasn’t what Aoba would want; the man had told him that himself back in Oval Tower nearly three years ago.

 

When the four of them left that house a few hours after their decision was made, they all knew that they would probably not be seeing much of each other after this, but no one showed any signs of sadness. Aoba wouldn’t want them to be sad. They agreed to meet up in a couple of weeks with Mizuki and a few people who were important to Aoba and share some drinks in his memory and then they would all start moving on with their lives.

 

Their lives without Aoba.

 

Mink felt his heart being ripped apart just thinking those words to himself, but he forced a smile as he waved goodbye to Clear, Noiz, and Koujaku. Aoba would want him to be happy, so even if he wasn’t, he was going to pretend, if only so Aoba could look down on him from wherever he was and be happy from beyond the grave. The thought brought him enough comfort to get by on. He would be alright. He would recover from this. For Aoba.

 

* * *

 

 

_A Year and Two Months (Three days later)_

 

Mink had taken the past few days since deciding to give up on finding Aoba taking long walks around the island in the middle of the night when the air was still, and no one was around to see if he let himself cry a little. He would let his AllMate fly freely, not really caring where he went off to. He was trying to keep himself calm, inside and out. He was coping and slowly starting to heal. He knew he still had a long way to go, but it was a start. He was snapped from his thoughts of love lost by the sound of Tori flying back to him. The bird hadn’t even fully landed on his shoulder before it started to speak to him.

 

“Mink, you need to come quickly,” Tori sounded slightly panicked. “Aoba is nearby!”

 

Mink didn’t even have to think before he was running in the direction his AllMate was leading him in, which was good because he was fairly certain his brain had short circuited at the mere mention that Aoba could be here. He was scared and excited all at the same time. His legs couldn’t carry him fast enough. Gods, how he hoped the man was alive when he made it to his side. As he rounded the last corner to the alley Tori had indicated, he gave a command, almost as an afterthought, for the bird to send out a message to Tae-san, Clear, Koujaku, and Noiz to let them know he had found Aoba. He didn’t stop until he was next to Aoba, calling out his name. His heart dropped when he noticed the man was trembling in pure, unfiltered fear when he reached out to him.

 

“P-please don’t,” his voice was shattered and far too weak, the fear evident, and Mink felt his heart breaking even farther.

 

“Aoba,” he had lowered his voice, trying to be as gentle as possible with him. “Are you alright? Do you know where you are?”

 

When all he got in response was Aoba telling him he was in pain, he sighed and pulled a water bottle from his coat pocket. He offered it to the man curled up fragile on the ground, trying to get him to drink something. As he watched Aoba timidly take the offered bottle and take small drinks from it, he took the time to properly examine him. He looked like he had recently been beaten half to death and his eyes were very dilated and almost glassy looking. He was almost positive that whoever had taken Aoba had drugged him, if not when they took him or while he was trapped with them, then at least before they dropped him here in this alley. He also noted how Aoba looked far too pale and skinny to be healthy, not as if he hadn’t been fed at all while he was missing these past two years, but definitely like he hadn’t gotten to eat properly.

 

“Aoba,” he tried to get his attention again, whatever drugs were flowing through his system obviously keeping him hazy and unfocused. “Can you tell me where you are?”

 

“Who are you?” was the answer he received. His brows furrowed at that, noting how unsteady Aoba seemed to be, even as he was sat leaned against the side of the building behind him. He was a bit shocked the man didn’t recognize him at all, but figured it was also the drugs. “I feel like I should know you.”

He sighed, muttering quietly to himself as he kept looking over Aoba’s for any signs that his condition was fatal. Aoba let out another sob when Mink didn’t answer his question, causing him to feel even sharper pangs in his chest.

 

“Mink,” he finally answered, relieved when he saw the slightest hint of recognition cross Aoba’s face at hearing his name. “We need to get you home.”

 

He spent a little while longer talking with Aoba in as soft a voice as he could, his stomach in knots at how quickly Aoba kept switching from incoherent sobs to unfocused muttering. When Aoba’s brain slowly started to work a little faster, he began to panic, worrying about Tae and he had to calm him down before he got himself too worked up. Half of the time Mink was speaking to Aoba, he could tell that the man was hardly there at all and didn’t seem to be able to hear, let alone understand, a lot of what he was trying to say to him.

 

“Aoba,” he finally started trying to get him back on track after a good five minutes, hands gripping on to Aoba, but not too tightly as to scare him. “Can you answer my question? How long do you think you have been gone?”

Aoba shook his head, seemingly making himself dizzy in the process as he swayed on the spot for a few moments. “It’s all fuzzy. I just remember a locked room and pain. There was so much pain.”

 

Mink couldn’t hold back the immense twinge of sadness that washed over him upon hearing that. It took him a few moments to compose himself enough to steel his emotions back up and speak again. “We have been looking for you for two years. You just disappeared without a trace.”

 

He watched painfully as Aoba swayed even farther, one hand coming to rest on his forehead. He looked like he was struggling to understand what Mink had just said to him. After a few moments, he weakly opened his mouth to speak again, not looking up at him at all.

 

“Mink… I want to go home.”

 

Before the words were even fully out his mouth, he started collapsing. Mink was very quick to catch him and lift him into his arms. He was worried beyond anything he had every felt before as he looked the man in his arms over to make sure he was okay before he slowly and carefully began walking in the direction of Aoba’s house.

 

“I’m going to take you home, love. I will keep you safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this turned out okay and not too rushed. I did finish like half of this chapter at 4 in the morning... I need to go to bed now, but I wanted to post this before I go. I love you guys and thank you so much for your continued support and putting up with me and my very inconsistent upload schedule!


	5. A Rough Road Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the first few days of Aoba's return though Mink's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let it be known that this chapter stressed me out so much, that I didn't go back and edit it before posting. That being said, I am sorry for all the mistakes that are inevitably here. I may go back and fix it later, but for now, please accept my attempt at returning.

As soon as Aoba’s house came into view, Mink heard Clear shout from the porch and take a few rushed steps towards him. It was obvious the man was panicked, but relieved when he looked up to meet his eyes. The other nodded, seeming to understand his silent plea, before turning back to the house and pushing the door wide open for him to carry the unconscious man inside. He ignored Noiz who was standing in the living room and proceeded upstairs to put Aoba down comfortably in his own bed, looking him over once more before finally addressing the two who had anxiously followed him through the house.

 

“He doesn’t remember much of anything,” his voice was trembling ever so slightly with barely contained rage. He knew the others were able to tell due to the close proximity they had been working in for so long now. “Whoever was holding him captive kept him well drugged up and likely abused him regularly.”

 

Tae entered the room then with her medical bag in hand and a stern look on her face. “I’m going to have to ask you lot to clear out of here, so I can treat his wounds. If he isn’t of a stable mindset, he might panic if he wakes up surrounded by people he barely remembers.”

 

No one argued against her and the three men found themselves awkwardly standing around the living area in silence. They had spent so much time stressing over finding Aoba and returning him home safely that they were hardly sure what to do now that he was actually home. Noiz ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair before breaking the tense atmosphere.

 

“I guess this means we will be starting up the search again,” he looked at them both in turn, eyes lingering on Mink the longest until the taller nodded his agreement.

 

“Aoba is home and safe, but we still don’t know were he was or who took him,” he broke his gaze away from the blonde’s to look towards the stairs. “Once he is more coherent, we can start asking him for information, anything he might remember of his time in captivity and go from there. In the meantime, our priority should be making sure he is going to recover.”

 

Noiz and Clear shared a brief look before the blond spoke again. “Tell me again where you found him. I want to scope the area for security cameras. If nothing else, we might be able to find out what type of car he was dropped from and maybe even an idea of what these men looked like.”

 

“I will go talk to Mizuki,” Clear said when Noiz had stopped talking. “He will want to know Aoba is alive, but I’m afraid he might not take it well. He’s already mourned his death a long time ago.”

 

Mink just nodded numbly. “And I will stay with Aoba for now. Let me know if anyone hears anything.”

 

“And you keep us updated on his condition,” Clear spoke softly, that same sad expression he wore so often the past two years plastered back into place, though admittedly a little less painfully. “Keep him safe.”

 

Without another word, the two left him alone to his thoughts. He slumped down on the couch, head resting in his hands propped up on his knees. He tried his best not to break down after everything. Aoba was here and alive, he kept telling himself. He was upstairs, unconscious and no doubt in a lot of pain. He didn’t even want to think about what the man had been through while he was far from his desperate grasp. His brain was a scattered mess of anger and sadness the more he dwelled on countless possibilities to lead to Aoba’s current condition. He couldn’t remember a time before now that he felt this helpless, like his own mind wasn’t within his full control. He tried to focus on taking deep breaths until he felt his composure finally slip back into place. He needed to regain himself and be stronger now. For Aoba.

 

He looked up to find Tae standing in front of him, her expression still as stern as ever. He didn’t even register her request for help. His feet just automatically carried him back up the stairs and to Aoba’s side. When his mind finally caught back up to him, he was lifting the man back into his arms and gently taking him into the bathroom.

 

As he undressed the still unconscious man before him, his eyes roamed over all the bruises and cuts littering his body, clear signs of just how badly he’d been beaten. All the bruising was recent, probably occurring within hours of Mink finding him, while the cuts varied from freshly cleaned out by Tae to fading scars. He forced the still present anger welling up inside him to calm again. He needed to control his rage, for now at least. Once he had gently placed Aoba in the warm bath Tae had prepared for him, he stood and walked out so Tae could proceed to wash her grandson of all the dried blood and grime caked to his body still.

 

He respectfully remained outside the entire time he was being washed up. A wave of relief rushed over him as he faintly heard Tae speaking on the other side of the door, her tone indicating that Aoba was awake now and maybe at least a little more coherent than last time. Before long, the door clicked open and the woman slipped outside again. Mink was finally able to get a good look at her for the first time since he had carried Aoba inside hours earlier. She wore her usual stern expression, but her eyes were tired and her posture was slightly more relaxed, as if a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

 

“Take care of him,” was all she said to him before slipping back down the hall and into Aoba’s room, no doubt to make sure she had everything ready to properly dress his wounds after his bath. He watched her go silently before turning back to the bathroom, deciding to knock first so Aoba could prepare himself for Mink to enter, assuming he was still awake.

 

He grabbed a nearby towel and pulled Aoba gently into his arms again, gaze roaming over him to make sure he wasn’t going to panic on him. After a few moments of eye contact, he relaxed a bit. The man in his arms was still unfocused and probably not fully aware of his surroundings, but his eyes spoke of the trust he held for Mink. He wasn’t sure if Aoba could even remember much about him at the moment, but he was thankful he at least seemed to feel safe with him in the room.

 

Carefully, he lifted the man out of the tub and sat him down to begin drying his slim body before he could get too cold. His eyes widened slightly as Aoba jerked violently away from him when he started drying off his legs. The smaller man’s eyes now wide and filled with terror, his small frame shaking uncontrollably. He took a few minutes to calm the man down before continuing the task at hand and carefully helping him back into his room. While Tae worked, she spoke of his condition, her soft voice indicating she was trying to indirectly reassure Mink that Aoba was going to be okay.

 

* * *

 

 

Roughly an hour later, he found himself leaving the house upon Koujaku’s request. The hairdresser had burst into the house in a panic, trying to demand answers from Aoba, who was still very dazed. He had wanted to argue against him to leave before he could upset the man further but settled on allowing Koujaku to take over watching over him, so he could set out in search of answers. He knew Aoba was safe now and so long as someone was with him, he knew everything would be alright.

 

The next couple of days were spent switching places with the hairdresser a couple of times so they could each watch over Aoba as he slept and still work on finding new information. Aoba barely awoke in the time Mink spent by his side. He mostly stayed unconscious, occasionally thrashing about and screaming in his sleep. Mink would try to wake him any time it happened and then coax him back into a peaceful sleep when it became clear the man was far too exhausted to stay awake any longer than it took to make him eat something.

 

The day he came home to Aoba sitting up in bed and talking with Koujaku a little more coherently than before, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders he hadn’t even realized he had been carrying. It felt good to hear the man’s voice. He still seemed pretty out of it, but he was able to form sentences a lot better. He was worried about Aoba’s mention of his memories starting to come back, but decided he shouldn’t push him to talk about it until he was ready to. He could tell when the man talked to him that he was holding back information, more than likely the identities of the men who held him captive for so long. He desperately wanted to press him for answers, but never did. He knew Aoba would need some time to come to terms with his newly gained freedom and would tell them everything once he was ready to.

 

Things had been seemingly going well until he came back to Aoba’s place one day to hear the man sobbing loudly in the bathroom. He had rushed to help him, worry taking over all of his senses as he watched Aoba break down. It wasn’t the first time this had happened since he was brought home but it was definitely worse than the others. Once he had gotten Aoba to calm down, he started to gently help him get dressed, his eyes once again falling to the scars marking Aoba’s thighs.

 

Something in his mind clicked as he put together Aoba’s reactions. He could feel his heart break for the man as he realized his captors had more than likely raped him. He could stop himself from leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to the scars, blinking tears away as he pushed back the ever growing anger once more. He was definitely going to make these men pay when he found them. That night, he refused to leave Aoba’s side at all and settled on sleeping next to him when Aoba had cried himself to sleep in his arms. It took him a while to fall asleep himself as his mind raced a million miles a minute. He was going to do whatever it took to protect the man he held in his arms.

 

The following morning, he awoke an hour before Aoba did, his eyes resting on his soft features as he slept peacefully for a change. He felt a warm sensation in his chest as he pulled him the slightest bit closer. He felt a little bad for enjoying the moment so much, but after so many years of trying to push his feelings aside so he could dedicate all his time to finding this man and seeing him returned home safe and sound, he couldn’t help it. It had been a really long time since he had gotten to see Aoba look so calm and it saddened him to know that he probably wouldn’t stay this way for very long upon waking.

 

He felt the man in his arms stir from his slumber and watched him as he slowly came to. His heart melted at the soft smile on the man’s face as he snuggled himself closer to him. He pushed away his romantic thoughts away and decided he should instead coax Aoba awake. He reluctantly agreed to his groggy plea for more time to enjoy the moment before promptly lifting him up after the allotted time and dumping him gently in the floor, a small smile on his face as Aoba pouted at him in response. At least he wasn’t panicking for a change and actually seemed to be at ease. He guided the man into leaving the bedroom to go eat some breakfast with Tae before taking his leave for the day.

 

He didn’t really want to leave Aoba, but he had already talked with Noiz the night before and agreed to meet up with him to discuss something the blond had found in his searching.

 

* * *

 

 

“You seem thoroughly distracted today,” Noiz huffed having interrupted himself mid-sentence to point it out to him. His green eyes glared at Mink a bit, but he knew the man wasn’t really angry. “Has something happened?”

 

“No,” Mink’s response was short and sweet making Noiz raise a brow at him before rolling his eyes and continuing his report where he had left off.

 

The information he had found was small and not really a lead at all. He had picked up on another phantom signal like the strange distress he had found during their search for Aoba. It seemed to be coming from the same location as the first and the blond had managed to completely isolate it this time. Unfortunately, it only served to confirm the original transmission before had been nothing more than a false lead. While it was possibly they had picked up on a real distress signal, it seemed to be a projection of it from a remote location. He had was planning to track it farther and see if he could find where the real message was being sent from, but he didn’t seem too confident that he even could. It was like this new signal was just meant to mock him for being unable to trace the source. A frustrating situation indeed.

 

The blond hesitantly stopped him before he could leave his apartment, his head tilted slightly in thought. “I’ve been thinking, Mink. Have you tried talking to Aoba about your feelings for him?”

 

Mink’s brows furrowed. “I really don’t think now is an appropriate time to be bringing that up. He isn’t in a very good place right now. He is getting better, but he still has a long way to go to recover. Maybe once this is all over and he is healing I will.”

 

The hacker made a small huffing sound shifting slightly in a way that showed his answer annoyed him. “Koujaku and I have discussed it and we both think it might help. He said that Aoba seemed more comfortable when you enter the room and actually relaxes more to your touch. Hearing how you really feel for him might be just what he needs right now. Everything he is going through right now is difficult, of course, but maybe knowing he doesn’t have to go through it alone and knowing you are there for him will do him some good.”

 

When he was done speaking, he moved and sat back at his computer signaling he was done talking on the matter. Mink took the hint and left, his mind wondering. He had a lot to think on now as he walked back to Aoba’s place. If it could help Aoba, it was worth a shot, but what if it wasn’t what Aoba needed at all? He sighed to himself, steeling his nerves. He decided he would give it a try, but maybe not yet. When he walked back into the small home, he found Tae waiting for him in the entry way, her eyes hard and arms crossed.

 

“Aoba wishes to speak with you,” she got straight to the point. “It’s important.”

 

She had turned and walked into the living area before he had the chance to question her. He got the feeling she was up to something but decided to leave it for now and just go ahead to Aoba’s room to see what he could possibly want to talk about. He felt fear creep into the pit of his stomach as he tried to think of possible scenarios. Maybe Aoba had finally decided it was time to talk to him about what had happened or give him the identities of the men who took him and abused him for so long. He entered Aoba’s room to find the man sleeping and debated with himself on whether he should awaken him or not. After a moment, he decided he should. Tae had said it was important, after all.

 

He watched patiently as Aoba seemed to fight with himself upon waking. He was sitting up, eyes trained anywhere but on Mink and a light flush gracing his face. He was clearly nervous about whatever he needed to say. He tried to gently coax him into talking as much as he could while trying to determine how bad the situation was. He couldn’t really make heads or tails of it with Aoba refusing to meet his gaze. The man’s resolve seemed to break when he finally did meet his eyes.

 

“Mink,” his voice was weak when he spoke. “I’m scared. I am scared that they will come back for me. I am scared that they released me just so I could get a taste for freedom before taking me back into their lives and torturing me again. I am scared that they will take me away from here and I won’t come back a second time. I am scared that I am going to be taken away from you.”

 

Mink felt his heart clench painfully at his words, but he remained respectfully silent, so Aoba could speak. He figured he would be scared but hearing him admit it damn near broke his heart. And seeing tears start pouring down his face as he continued finished the job for him. “It scares me that I feel so warm and safe with you being here. I am scared because I can’t even tell if my feelings for you are real or something my mind created just because you were the one to find me. I am terrified, and I don’t know what to do anymore! I am growing attached to you in ways that I don’t think I should and it scar-“

 

He decided to take a chance, go out on a limb, and leaned forward swiftly to press his lips to Aoba’s as gently as possible. He felt Aoba tense slightly before melting into the kiss, slowly returning it. He let the kiss linger for only a moment before pulling back and rest his forehead against Aoba’s, observing his reaction from up close. The man’s eyes were still closed and he was breathing slightly heavily with a dazed sort of smile on his face. After a moment, he spoke to him in a soft whisper.

 

“Aoba, look at me,” he waited until Aoba did as he said to continue. “I will never let any of that happen. If they try to come and take you away, I will be waiting for them. They will pay for everything they put you through. I promise you, Aoba, that I will always protect you.”

 

The younger of the two brought his hands up to burry in Mink’s dreads as his tears returned. Mink wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer so he was almost sitting on him. He held on tightly, soothing a hand up and down his back as he sobbed loudly into his chest, soaking his shirt with his tears. After an eternity spent like that, Aoba finally calmed down and pulled back to look at him, a goofy, lopsided grin on his face.

 

“Aoba,” he said, surprising himself with how much emotion he let slip into his voice. The man in his arms just smiled wider and pulled him into another kiss that set his nerve endings on fire and caused his brain to short circuit for a moment.

 

“Mink,” he whispered against his lips when they separated. “Stay with me.”

 

“Always,” he whispered back. He never intended to leave this man’s side every again and he would be damned if he let anyone take him away again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took me way too long to come back to. I really have no excuse this time around. I just haven't been inspired to write lately. I am determined to continue writing and see this story to the end, though. I might try to write for other fandoms after this chapter to see if it will help motivate me to keep trudging on!
> 
> On another note, I wanted to give insight on Mink going through Aoba's recovery, but I also don't want to end up just going over all of the same stuff as the first story, so I am glossing over a lot of the conversations between the two and trying to focus more on how Mink feels. I will elaborate on the more important scenes as much as I can, but I'm not sure I executed this chapter very well. I am trying hard, so I apologize!
> 
> Until next time! <3


	6. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the truth comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is between last chapter and this chapter that I realize that this one being listed as a prequel to Save Me from the Memories means I probably have a lot of readers that are reading this one first and me skipping a lot of stuff makes things less clear to them. Oops. I do recommend reading that story as well to get the full affect as this story is basically Mink's POV to fill in gaps where Aoba's POV couldn't in the original, so I don't want to include every detail from the first one and instead want to mainly focus on the gaps between and expand on things that happened around Aoba that were vague in the original due to Aoba not being all there while recovering. I guess I should have listed this as more of a companion story, but whatever.
> 
> Anyways... Enjoy the next chapter. My fiance actually hid my HDMI cable while I was writing this chapter so I wouldn't decide to play Dragon Age instead of writing this time. You can thank him for this being out so quick.

Mink stepped out from the shop he had gone to get Aoba a bottle of water and his eyes immediately went to the bench he had left Aoba sitting on. He was slightly relieved to see Noiz was with him, clearly meaning he hadn’t been alone too long while he was inside. His heart dropped a little as he saw Noiz rise to his feet, clearly angry as he whirled around as if looking for someone or something. Without hesitating, he took off towards them, calling out to the blond as he did. He didn’t miss the panic in Aoba’s eyes as he stared at Noiz who had settled his own fiery gaze on Mink when he reached them. Aoba wasn’t responding, no doubt stuck in his own head.

 

“I know what happened to Aoba two years ago,” Mink could tell that Noiz was _trying_ to contain his anger, but it was not working as he growled his words. His hands were twitching like he wanted to punch something. “It makes perfect fucking sense now. Those sons of bitches!”

 

“Noiz, calm down,” he tried. Aoba had started shaking, his wide eyes looking franticly between the two of them. The angry energy wafting off the blond was very much not helping the panic attack he was already having. He needed to defuse the situation as fast as possible and get Aoba back home. Unfortunately, his attempt only seemed to anger Noiz more, since he moved to fully face him, his fists clenched tightly.

 

“You expect me to calm down when I just met the bastards that put Aoba through all that shit and I fucking let them walk away?” his voice was practically shouting now.

 

Before Mink could stop himself, he reached up and grabbed Noiz’s collar, pulling him forward roughly as his gaze hardened to a glare. “Then it looks like you have a lot of talking to do, Maniac.”

 

The hacker’s eye twitched slightly at the nickname and one hand jerked as if to swing at him before falling back to his side. They were so caught in their glaring match that neither noticed Aoba shakily rising to his feet until he tugged at Mink’s sleeve. The man’s voice was trembling as he said Mink’s name quietly and they both turned their attention to him. He looked pitiful with tears still running down his face. Mink quickly released Noiz in favor of pulling Aoba into his arms, holding tightly as the man seemed to struggle with himself for a few moments before trying to speak again.

 

“It was Virus and Trip,” his voice was so quiet that he wasn’t sure he had even heard him right at first.

 

Mink’s mind blanked out for a moment before his thoughts started racing around in circles. As Noiz had said, it all made sense now. Those bastards had come to them and wormed their way into the search party so they could cover their tracks behind them. It allowed them to know where they were in their search and guide them away when they started getting too close to the truth. He thought back to the meetings the two attended. Now, he could only assume that when one had come without the other that the absent one was no doubt with Aoba. He felt his blood begin to boil as he remembered the scars marking Aoba’s thighs and how scared the man was of being touched. Oh, those two are going to pay, especially when he figures out which one of them liked to cut the man he loved every time he had his way with him.

 

He snapped his mind back to the situation at hand and ordered Noiz to gather the others and meet them back at Aoba’s place before lifting Aoba into his arms to carry him home, not wanting him to walk back himself with how shaky his legs were just from standing still right now. He felt Aoba nuzzle closer to him ever so slightly and squeezed him a bit, his gaze searching his face. Aoba seemed lost in his own head again. He wasn’t even sure if the man noticed he had been picked up with how little he even reacted to the motion. His hazel eyes were still filled with anxiety, now with a hint of sadness mixed in. He tried to talk to the other as he made his way home, but soon gave up when Aoba barely even blinked at him making it even more obvious he wasn’t all there right now. He mentally kicked himself for thinking a walk for fresh air would be good for the man. This had been a very bad idea on his part.

 

* * *

 

As soon as Mink walked back downstairs from making sure Aoba was settled in bed and sleeping at least somewhat peacefully, he was assaulted by Koujaku’s voice asking him a million questions a minute. Thankfully, he was saved from having to pick apart and answer any of them by his boyfriend covering his mouth and murmuring to him in a slightly annoyed tone and leading him into the living room to sit down. Sighing to himself, Mink followed after them, not at all surprised to see Clear and Mizuki waiting for them.

 

“What happened? Noiz didn’t give any information in his text!” Clear asked nervously when he saw Mink.

 

“I decided Aoba needed to get out for some fresh air and foolishly left him alone for just a few moments when he started to feel faint from too much movement,” Mink answered as calmly as he could, trying to keep his head clear enough to get through this. “When I came back, he was having a panic attack while Noiz was pacing angrily in front of him.”

 

“I found him sitting there like a frightened animal while Virus was practically hanging over him and talking softly in his ear,” the blond has calmed down considerably since they had parted ways. He was no longer twitching anxiously and his voice sounded almost normal, but his eyes were still flashing with the anger he held earlier. He brought up his coil and started typing furiously as he continued speaking. “It didn’t take a genius to piece together the situation.”

 

Everyone stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to continue. After a few moments, it became obvious he was done talking, so Mink shifted a bit and picked up for him. “We now know who kidnapped Aoba two years ago. Virus and Trip.”

 

Mizuki’s brows furrowed as he leaned forward a bit. “You’re sure? They helped us look for him.”

 

“A perfect cover up,” Clear tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. “They were able to keep an eye on us and make sure we didn’t discover them.”

 

Everyone sat in silence, listening to the rhythm of Noiz’s typing as they processed the new information. The news that they had spent years working together with Aoba’s captors to try and find said people was a hard pill to swallow. The more Mink thought about it, the more pissed off he got. He swore to himself right then and there the moment he found those two, they were dead men. He would do anything it takes to keep them from ever being able to hurt Aoba again.

 

“We need to get Aoba talking,” Koujaku broke the tension by speaking up. “I know he doesn’t want to, but we need all the information we can get right now.”

 

“He needs to rest,” Mink countered, voice low. “He was completely drained by the time we made it back here.”

 

“Once he wakes up then,” the hairdresser crossed his arms over his chest. “Even knowing Virus and Trip were the ones behind this, we aren’t any closer to finding where he was taken. And we already knew that those two were nearly impossible to find when they didn’t want to be before this mess even happened. Without Aoba’s insight, we might never be able to find them and bring them to justice!”

 

Noiz placed a steading hand on his boyfriend’s arm in response to his rapidly raising voice. He shook his head when those crimson eyes snapped a glare his direction. “I agree we need him to talk, but I was there to see his face when Virus and Trip were talking to him. If we try to force information out of him, he will just panic and shut down on us. It will do no good. For any of us.”

 

“He’s right,” Clear chimed in, standing from his seat. “He needs to recover more before we press him for answers. Eventually, we will get him to talk, but for now, we need to focus on keeping him safe and make sure he recovers well.”

 

No one argued any further. The conversation was as good as over until Aoba was rested. When that became obvious to everyone, they slowly started to leave, agreeing to check in on their friend’s condition more often. They all knew they would have a long road ahead of them trying to track down those bastards and make them pay for what they did to Aoba. Later, they would make plans for what to do once they catch up to them, but for now, Aoba would remain their main priority. So long as he was safe and sound, they could wait a little longer.

 

Once everyone had left, Mink quietly slipped upstairs to Aoba’s room. He changed into something to sleep in before slipping under the covers next to Aoba. He smiled softly down at him as the man shifted closer to him almost immediately. He looked so calm in his sleep that Mink could almost forget all the trauma the man had faced the past two years. His heart swelled in his chest when he heard Aoba quietly murmur his name in his sleep as he moved to wrap his arms around the bigger man. He would be damned if he ever let any more harm come upon this man laying with him. He held Aoba close to his chest as he slowly slipped into sleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I got too excited about finishing a chapter and didn't go back and proofread before posting. This is why I can't get a beta reader. I am too impatient of a creature. Hopefully I don't forget to work on the next chapter soon, lol.


End file.
